Big Data = Bigger Metadata

The era of big geodata has arrived. Federal transparency initiatives have spawned millions of rows of data, state and local programs engage developers and wonks with APIs, contests and data galore. Sub meter imagery ensures unparalleled accuracy and collection efforts mean timely updates. Private industry offers attribute-laden device exhaust, forming a geo-footprint of who is going where, when, how and (maybe) for what.

With opportunity comes challenge—the expertise in sourcing, identifying, collecting, normalizing and maintaining geographic data is often overlooked in the mad rush to analyze. Curation, or the human side of extract, transform and load (ETL) has increased in scope, scale and importance as data proliferation translates to a deluge of non-standardized data types, lacking sufficient documentation or validation, questioning underlying value. Big Data calls for expertise in curating. Acquiring, validating and arranging data in collections that are relevant to the right audience at the right time.

The CEO of Urban Mapping, Ian White, will demonstrate why your maps are only as good as your data, the issues around big data curating and illustrate how data acquisition can be addressed from the get-go of any geospatial intelligence project or program planning